Brewer said in an interview that the president was “somewhat thin-skinned and a little tense, to say the least” and that she was “shocked by the sternness of it all.” The president reportedly raised objections to Brewer’s description of their meeting in June, 2010, when he met her Wednesday.

“I think it’s always good publicity for a Republican if they’re in an argument with me. But this was really not a big deal,” Obama said of their most recent meeting. “She wanted to give me a letter, asking for a meeting. And I said, ‘We’d be happy to meet.’ Last time we met she wasn’t fully satisfied. But, you know, I think this is a classic example of things getting blown out of proportion.”